How Ben Wallin and Dan Cox scaled Edison Smart to 31 staff and expanded globally

This week on The RAG Podcast, I’m revisiting my episode with Ben Wallin and Dan Cox, founders of Edison Smart.

When I spoke to them in August 2022, they’d already hit £1.7m revenue and built a team of nearly 20 in just over a year. One year later, they scaled to 31 employees, expanded into the US, put boots on the ground in Dubai, and built a structure that no longer relies on their own billing.

We talk about:

• How they built an operational and leadership team that runs the agency
• Why they hired experienced recruiters while others were letting people go
• The rebrand to Edison Smart and its focus on smart technology
• How they achieved 40 percent growth in 2023
• What it takes to truly work on the business, not in it

For any founder asking how to become more operational and scale sustainably, this episode is a clear roadmap.

Chapters

02:58 Edison Smart's Growth Journey

06:01 Operational Structure and Leadership Dynamics

09:11 Market Challenges and Strategic Responses

11:57 Hiring Strategies and Team Expansion

15:09 Navigating Market Changes and Client Relationships

17:58 Headcount Growth and Recruitment Strategies

22:03 Geographical Expansion: US and Dubai

25:10 Branding and Rebranding: Edison Smart

27:47 Operational Working Arrangements and Company Culture

30:57 Key Takeaways and Future Vision

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